Rotatable and depressible washing apparatus



june 24, 1969 ROTATABLE Filed Aug. 8. 1966 A. W. KELLEY AND DEPRESSIBLE WASHING APPARATUS FIG. l

Sheet FIG. 3

AW. KELLEY INVENTOR ATTORNEY `lune 24, 1969 A, W. KELLEY ROTATABL'E AND DEPRESSIBLE WASHING APPARATUS Sheet Filed Aug. 8, 1966 FIGS FIG.

Aw. KELLEY INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,451,628 ROTATABLE AND DEPRESSIBLE WASHING APPARATUS Archie W. Kelley, 203 E. Vado, San Antonio, Tex. 78214 Filed Aug. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 570,932 Int. Cl. B05b 15/08; E03b 7/04; B60s 3/04 U.S. Cl. 239-587 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Rotatable and depressible washing apparatus including an elon-gated arm connected at one end to mounting means, said arm capable of complete rotation and depressible to forty-live degrees below the horizontal plane; one end of a flexible hose is connected to the free end of said arm and liquid dispensing means connected to the second end thereof; a surge tank may be remotely connected to said washing apparatus to prevent knocking within the system upon activation of said liquid dispensing means.

The present invention relates to rotatable and depressible washing apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus used in connection with coin-operated car washing installations.

The present invention contemplates the use of improved rotatable and/or depressible washing apparatus connecting with liquid dispensing means for applying water and/ or detergent to an automobile or the like'to clean the same.

An object of the present invention is the provision of rotatable and/or depressible washing apparatus which is xedly mounted to a supporting structure yet is capable of complete rotation about the said mounting means and is depressible from zero to forty-tive degrees below the horizontal plane.

Another object is to provide apparatus whereby water and/or detergent may be applied to the outer surface of a vehicle in an eicient manner.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such apparatus having attached thereto a exible hose and a spray gun whereby the user may conveniently clean all portions of a vehicle or the like.

Still another object is to provide apparatus which iS simple in construction, capable of mass production techniques, and easy to use and maintain in serviceable condition.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the disclosure is made in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away and partly in section, of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top plan view, partly broken away and partly in section, of the innermost, upper portion of the boom.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top plan view, partly broken away and partly in section, of the outermost, upper portion of the boom.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, side elevational view, showing the boom depressed downwardly at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, side elevational view, partly broken away and partly in section, of a surge tank used in connection with the apparatus of FIG. l.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts through- 3,451,628 Patented June 24, 1969 ICC out the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a rotatable and/or depressible boom 10 which in the preferred embodiment of the invention is used in combination with surge tank 11 of FIG. 6. It is to be understood that the boom 10 of FIG. 1 may be used independently of surge tank 11; in like manner, the surge tank 11 may be used independently of the boom of FIG. 1 to prevent knocking within a pipe system caused by the sudden application of liquid under pressure to such system.

Base plate 12 may conveniently be secured to any horizontal or vertical supporting structure (not shown); the said plate 12 includes a vertical -bore 13 through which bolt 14 passes downwardly with the head thereof secured to said plate as by welding, indicated by 1S. A sleeve 16 and washer 17 are carried by the said bolt below plate 12 with a nut 18 threaded thereon; nut 18 is secured to bolt 14 by means of set screw 19 or the like. A longitudinally extending bore 20 passes through bolt 14 with each end of the said bolt provided with female threads 21-22, respectively. T 23, as best seen in FIG. 6 in reversed condition, consists of externally threaded arms 24-26; arm 24 screws into the bottom of tank 11; one end of a heavy duty hose 27 connects to arm 25, through which hose liquid is supplied to the boom in a manner hereinafter to be described; and arm 26 screws into the female threads 21 in bolt 1'4.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings, a conventional lubrication fitting 28 connects to sleeve 16 and communicates with the bore thereof. A horizontally extending tube 29, slightly greater in length than the outside diameter of sleeve 16, is fxedly secured to the lower end of such sleeve. An integrally formed, U-shaped bracket consists of base 30 and perpendicularly extending legs 31-32 which pass outwardly of the ends of tube 29. A lbore 33, aligned with the bore of tube 29, is provided in legs 31, 32; bolt 34 passes through such bores with a washer 35 and nut 36 threaded thereon. One end of an outwardly extending arm 37, hereinafter to be more fully described, is xedly secured to base 30 of such bracket.

As best seen in FIG. 2, an outwardly and vertically extending lug 38 with a horizontally extending bore 39 passing therethrough is centered above tube 29 and xedly secured to sleeve 16. An obliquely downward extending tube 40 pivotally connects to lug 38 and arm 37, respectively. More specifically, tube 40 includes a longitudinally and vertically extending slot 41 in one end thereof; such slot forms legs 42-43 which pass laterally of lug 38. Bore 44 in each leg 42, 43 is aligned with bore 39 in lug 38 and bolt 45 is passed through such bores with washer 46 and nut 47 threaded thereon.

A transversely extending pin 48 connects to legs 42, 43 outwardly of lug 38 and forms a stop for one end of rod 49 which slidably inserts in the bore of tube 40, as best seen in FIG. 4. Collar 50 slides on tube 40 and is secured to the innermost end of rod 49 by means of bolt 51 passing through vertically aligned bores (not shown) in the rod and collar, respectively, with nut S2 threaded thereon. Coil spring 53 is carried by tube 40 with one end of said spring bearing against collar 50. The outermost end of tube 40 includes male threads 54; nut 5S is threaded thereon with the other end of spring 53 abutting nut 55.

Referring again to FIG. l of the drawings, arm 37 is bent horizontally at a point approximately vertically beneath the end of rod 49. A longitudinally and vertically extending gusset 56 is secured in the angle thus formed, the said gusset includes an upstanding lug 57 with a bore 58 passing horizontally therethrough as viewed in FIG. 4. The outermost end of rod 49 is slotted, indicated by 59, forming legs 60-61 which pass laterally of the sides of lug 57; a bore 62, aligned with bore 58, is provided in each leg 60, 61 and bolt 63 passed through bores 62,

58 with a washer 64 and nut 65 threaded thereon. It iS evident that spring tension on arrn 37 may be regulated by adjusting nut 55. The boom is horizontally rotatable three hundred sixty degrees and as illustrated in FIG. 5, the said boom may simultaneously be depressed to any desired vertical angle ranging from zero to forty-five degrees below the horizontal plane. When boom 10 is depressed, as illustrated in FIG. 5, rod 49 connecting to lug 57 causes collar 50 connecting to the other end of said rod to be drawn downward; such action creates a compressive force on spring 53 whereby boom 10 returns to the position illustrated in FIG. 1 when such downward force is released.

Still referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the swivel 66 such as is manufactured by The Aro Corporation of Byran, Ohio, includes a male member 67 which screws into the mating female threads 22 in bolt 14; the other end of said swivel includes member 68 to which one end of a heavy duty, flexible hose 69 connects. The other end of hose 69 connects to pipe 70, the said pipe passing longitudinally through arm 37 and terminating outwardly in a forty-live degree L 71 with a swivel 72, similar to swivel 66, threaded thereon. One end of an elongated, Y

flexible, heavy duty hose 73, capable of withstanding pressures ranging from 500-650 p.s.i. and temperatures ranging from 100-l50 Fahrenheit, connects to swivel 72 while the other end of hose 73 connects to a spray gun (not shown) such as manufactured by Spraying Systems Company of Bellwood, Ill., under U.S. Letters Patent No. 2,956,752.

There is shown in FIG. 6 the surge tank 11 which preferably is used in combination with boom 10 to prevent knocking caused by surges of liquid within the system when the spray gun is activated. Tank 11 consists of an elongated, hollow casing 74 with a longitudinally extending air chamber 75 therein; the said casing terminates upwardly and downwardly in a restricted neck 76-77 provided respectively with female threads 78-79. Arm 24 of T 23, heretofore mentioned, screws into female threads 78 in tank 11.

Cap 80 preferably includes an integrally formed, hexagonally shaped nut 81, the said cap terminates downwardly in male threads 82 which screw into the mating threads 79 in casing 74. The cap 80 further includes a longitudinally extending bore 83 with a communicating bore 84 of lesser diameter in which is fixedly secured a vertical standpipe 85 with the lower end of said standpipe extending downwardly into bore 83. The lower portion of cap 80 is threaded internally, indicated by 86; a valve 87 inserts in bore 83 and seats upon the upper end of tube 88 which screws into threads 86. Valve 87 is cylindrical and composed of plastic or the like; the said valve includes a longitudinally extending :bore 89 with a transversely extending bore 90 communicating therewith. In raised condition top 91 of valve 87 abuts the lower end of standpipe 85 and forms an effective seal thereagainst.

The lower end of tube 88 is provided with a counterbore 92 in which is fixedly secured as by sweating or the" like one end of vertically extending tube 93, the lower end of which is flared, indicated by 94. Prior to use, valve 87 seats upon the upper end of tube 88 as viewed in FIG. 6; when the spray gun heretofore mentioned is activated, liquid enters through arm 2S and is diverted into arms 24, 26 respectively. The liquid in arm 24 rises into tube 93 and passes upwardly into tube 88, forcing valve 87 against the lower end of standpipe 85 whereby air is entrapped in chamber 75 and absorbs surges of liquid due to varying pressure from the pump. The liquid .4 then passes downwardly through arm 26 to the boom 10 in the manner heretofore described. When the liquid iS cut off, air enters through standpipe 8S and valve 87 again seats upon the upper end of tube 88. Such surge tank 11 also serves as a convenient relief valve during freezing weather.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only preferred embodiments of the invention and that it is intended to cover all changes and modications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Rotatable and depressible car washing apparatus comprising a base plate, a vertically extending sleeve rotatably secured to said base plate, an outwardly extending arm having first and second ends, said first end pivotally connected to said sleeve, means connected to said sleeve and said arm intermediate said first and second ends to maintain the said arm in raised condition, a conduit having rst and second ends partially passing through said arm, and liquid dispensing means connected to the second end of said conduit.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said liquid dispensin g means consists of a spray gun.

3. The invention of claim 1 including a surge tank remotely connected to the first end of said conduit.

4. Rotatable and depressible car washing apparatus comprising a base plate, a vertically extending sleeve rotatably secured to said base plate, a spring loaded radially extending arm having rst and second ends, said first end pivotally connected to said sleeve, a conduit having first and second ends partially passing through said arm, a exible hose connected to the second end of said conduit, and liquid dispensing means connected to the distal end of said flexible hose.

5. Rotatable and depressible car washing apparatus comprising a base plate, a vertically extending sleeve including a longitudinally extending bore, said sleeve rotatably secured to said base plate, a radially extending arm having first and second ends, said first end pivotally connected to said sleeve, means connected to said sleeve and said arm intermediate said first and second ends to maintain said arm in raised condition, a conduit having rst and second ends partially passing through said arm, liquid dispensing means connected to the second end of said conduit, and means remotely connected to the iirst end of said conduit to prevent surges of liquid to said liquid dispensing means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 971,518 10/1910 Bergens 239-309 980,353 1/1911 Smith 137-357 679,687 7/1901 Simpson 137-593 X 2,492,049 12/ 1949 Krone et al. 137-615 2,727,534 12/1955 Briede 137-207 X 2,896,862 7/1959 Bede 137-207 X 3,021,867 2/1962 Gallagher 137-615 X 3,086,552 4/1963 Ragsdale 137-615 3,265,087 8/ 1966 Livingston. 3,342,210 9/ 1967 Renton 137-593 EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

